Cape Town firefighters are signing up for another kind of life-saving effort beyond their daily heroism, this time to help more people by becoming stem cell donors!
Cape Town, South Africa (04 July 2024) — Cape Town firefighters are signing up to save even more lives beyond the clutches of flames and disaster as they gear up to fight blood disorders and blood cancer by becoming stem cell donors!
Many everyday heroes make the non-profit DKMS’s mission to match blood stem cell donors with patients in dire need, possible. But, as it is with many causes that rely on this kind of selfless donation, the demand unfortunately outweighs the supply.
To put things into perspective, every 72 minutes, a family in South Africa receives the tragic news that someone has been diagnosed with blood cancer or a blood disorder, as Mayco Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith shared.
This is where the City’s firefighters are stepping in, as they’ve done before for the most heartwarming reason.
In 2019, one now-retired firefighter was diagnosed with blood cancer. But, in an incredible dose of support from his community, his fellow firefighters rallied together and registered as stem cell donors to give him a fighting chance.
Despite the initiative born from that kindness being put on pause during the pandemic, the initiative is back on its way to making change.
“Our firefighters are known for their selflessness and bravery in saving lives from fires. They are kicking it up a notch by registering and being donors to save even more lives,” says JP Smith.
“In most cases, a stem cell transplant is the only hope of cure for many patients. The more donors on the registry the better chances patients have of finding their genetic twin and receiving a transplant.”
Says Palesa Mokomele, DKMS Africa Head of Community Engagement and Communications:
“True to their calling, our firefighters have once again show us the true meaning of being heroes. While we mourn the firefighter who lost his life, we remain hopeful that we will find donors for every patient diagnosed with blood cancer or a blood disorder and wish to thank the leadership for affording us this opportunity to create awareness and register more potential life savers.”
The campaign already kickstarted in Goodwood earlier this week, and DKMS will be hosting a series of more presentations at the fire station to educate the heroes about the circumstances they’ll be alleviating as time goes on.
But, you don’t need to be a firefighter to make a difference. Find out more about becoming a donor yourself, here.
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